Palestinian Center for Human Rights. August 20 – 26 2009.

Photo: Palestinian youth killed by Israeli military forces in Gaza Strip.

During the reporting period, Israeli forces killed 3 Palestinian civilians, including a child, and wounded 9 others in the Gaza Strip. Another Palestinian is also missing. In the West Bank, one Palestinian civilian was wounded.

On 24 August 2009, Israeli troops positioned to the northwest of Beit Lahia town in the northern Gaza Strip (along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel) fired at two Palestinian civilians, including a child, who got close to the border. The child was instantly killed by two bullets to the chest, and the other civilian was seriously wounded.

The two civilians were working in a farm in Beit Lahia town, approximately 350 meters away from the border fence. They attempted to get close to the border to find metal wires to sell them. They were unarmed.

In the early morning of Tuesday, 25 August 2009, an Israeli warplane fired a missile at a tunnel near the Salah al-Din Gate in the south of Rafah town on the Palestinian-Egyptian border. Two brothers, Mansour ‘Ali al-Batniji, 30, and Na’el ‘Ali al-Batniji, 20, were killed, and their other brother, Ibrahim, 35, is missing. Another 6 Palestinians were also wounded.

Additionally, two Palestinian civilians were wounded when Israeli troops positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel opened fire at Palestinian houses and farms in Beit Hanoun town.

Incursions: During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 18 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. Israeli forces arrested 16 Palestinian civilians, including two children. Israeli forces raided the offices of Bethlehem 2000 Radio and confiscated its equipment for no apparent reason. The value of the confiscated equipment is estimated at US$ 150,000. The radio station was established in 1996 and it is licensed by the Palestinian National Authority.

In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces conducted two limited incursions into Palestinian communities, during which they leveled areas of Palestinian land they had already razed.

Restrictions on Movement: Israeli forces have continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT and imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

Gaza Strip

Israeli forces have continued to close all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for more than two years. The Israeli-imposed illegal closure of the Gaza Strip, which has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.

* 1.5 million people are being denied their basic rights, including freedom of movement, and their rights to appropriate living conditions, work, health and education.

* The main concern of 1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip is to obtain their basic needs of food, medicines, water and electricity supplies.

* Israeli forces have continued to prevent the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza Strip for more than two years.

* Israeli forces have not allowed fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, excluding limited amounts of cooking gas, since 10 December 2008.

* The Rafah International Crossing Point has been opened for a few days for a number of patients who received medical treatment abroad and needed to return home to the Gaza Strip.

* Israeli forces have continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to Palestinian civilians wishing to travel to the West Bank and Israeli for medical treatment, trade or social visits.

* Poverty and unemployment stand at approximately 80% and 60% respectively in the Gaza Strip.

* Israeli forces have continued to prevent the entry of spare parts form water networks and sewage systems. Losses incurred to this sector are estimated at US$ 6 million.

* Israeli forces have imposed additional access restrictions on international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers seeking to enter the Gaza Strip. They have prevented representatives of several international humanitarian organizations from entering the Gaza Strip.

* Living conditions of the Palestinian civilian population have seriously deteriorated; levels of poverty and unemployment have sharply mounted.

* At least 900 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been deprived for family visitation for more than two years.

* Israeli forces have continued to attack Palestinian fishers along the Gaza Strip coast.

West Bank

Israeli forces have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip continue to be denied access to Jerusalem.

* Israeli forces have established checkpoints in and around Jerusalem, severely restricting Palestinian access to the city. Civilians are frequently prevented from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

* There are approximately permanent 630 roadblocks, and manned and unmanned checkpoints across the West Bank. In addition, there are some 60-80 ‘flying’ or temporary checkpoints erected across the West Bank by Israeli forces every week.

* When complete, the illegal Annexation Wall will stretch for 724 kilometers around the West Bank, further isolating the entire population. 350 kilometers of the Wall has already been constructed. Approximately 99% of the Wall has been constructed inside the West Bank itself, further confiscating Palestinian land.

* At least 65% of the main roads that leads to 18 Palestinian communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by Israeli forces (47 out of 72 roads).

* There are around 500 kilometers of restricted roads across the West Bank. In addition, approximately one third of the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, is inaccessible to Palestinians without a permit issued by the Israeli forces. These permits are extremely difficult to obtain.

* Israeli forces continue to harass, and assault demonstrators who hold peaceful protests against the construction of the Annexation Wall.

* Palestinian civilians continue to be harassed by Israeli forces in Jerusalem, and across the West Bank, including being regularly stopped and searched in the streets by Israeli forces.

Settlement Activities: Israeli forces have continued settlement activities in the OPT in violation of international humanitarian law and Israeli settlers living have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. On 20 August 2009, Israeli settlers living in settlement outposts in the center of Hebron uprooted several carob and pine trees from the garden located opposite to the Ibrahimi Mosque, allegedly to use them for entertainment purposes in the “Abraham Avino” settlement outpost in the center of the old town.

Israeli troops and police witnessed the attack, but did not intervene to stop it. On 23 August 2009, Israeli settlers living in the “Abraham Avino” settlement outpost in the center of the old town of Hebron attacked nearby Palestinian houses with stones, empty bottles and garbage to force them to leave their houses, which are located near the vegetable market that has been siezed by Israeli forces since 1994. Israeli forces did not intervene to stop the attack, which terrified Palestinian civilians and damaged their houses.